“I wanted to put as much pressure on Grotts as I could,” Finsterwald told USA Cycling after the race. “He would catch me at the top of each climb. I was able to come around him somewhere on the descent and open it up a bit. He made me work for it. That was not easy.”

On the womenʼs side, Lauren Catlin (Durango Devo) dominated the cross country event, coming back from a bobble early in the race to take the national title. Deidre York (The Gear Movement-Epic Pro Cycle) finished 1:21 back from Catlin, earning second, while defending national champion Jill Behlen (Tokyo Joeʼs-Whole Foods-Primal) took third.